On their third album, Brazilian dance-rock quintet CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy) make baby steps toward maturation, but old habits die hard. Ultimately, it's for the best — since what we've all loved so much about CCS is their carefree quirkiness. Silly-as-hell opener "I Love You" (replete with a booming '80s DJ voice) is all ass-blasting bass and frilly lingerie synths: a welcome bitchslap following the three-year gap since their last effort, the critically polarizing Donkey. "The rain is falling on my head/Bringing thoughts I never had/Like love and shit" — oh, so romantic! It's the sound of Lovefoxxx, our fearlessly sexy leader, trying her hardest not to soften up. Remember, this is the same voice behind rowdy tracks like "Art Bitch" and "Music is My Hot Hot Sex," so it's going to be a gradual process. "City Grrl" is painfully autobiographical, Lovefoxxx dramatizing her misfit youth and struggle to fit into the Big Bad City. But with her gay-friendly shout-outs and mentions of "short shorts, short skirts, flower tops" and "laughing and drinking with my one-night stands," the whole thing just comes off as B-side-Lady Gaga — and the overblown synths only fuel that comparison. It's fitting that La Liberacion opens with a song called "I Love You" and ends with one called "Fuck Everything." By album's end, CSS are back to their old irreverent ways, screaming that title lyric repeatedly, nearly drowned out by sax blasts and cowbell. "Fuck everything." Now there's a sentiment we can all get behind.

The Sounds | Something To Die For The recent news that British electronic act Faithless have called it a day no doubt left dejected ravers reaching for extra MDMA to stave off the tears.

Rubblebucket | Omega La La Although bands often sacrifice musical quality for the sake of maintaining a weirder image, Rubblebucket keep buzzing forward, as impressive as they are idiosyncratic.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks | Mirror Traffic Malkmus solo has always alternated concise "song" records between collections of the Jicks' sprawling jams (Pig Lib, Real Emotional Trash), but Mirror Traffic is the first time he's tried to make a Jicks-as-band record digestible.

Machinedrum | Room(s) For the uninitiated, footwork is a relatively fresh-faced distant relative of Chicago house.

Tom Hambridge | Boom! Roots rock is the new country and ex-Bostonian Tom Hambridge is the style's current MPV.

The Drums | Portamento If the Mozzer himself is going to stay forever ensconced in his elder-statesman Vegas Era, then I'll gladly take this bold blond bout of Morrissey youth-worship wrapped nicely in 2011's garage-pop wave.

Kasabian | Velociraptor! Four records in and Kasabian are still dodging that lazy comparison to Oasis, which is based mainly on their healthy egos and partly on how singer Tom Meighan sometimes pulls off the best Liam Gallagher sneer since Be Here Now — look no further than the way he stretches syllables on the cocksure, bass-driven "Re-Wired."

ATLAS GENIUS | WHEN IT WAS NOW | February 20, 2013 Atlas Genius are schooled students of modern pop architecture, seamlessly bouncing from Coldplay-styled acoustic rock to fizzy Phoenix funkiness to deadpanned Strokes-ian guitar chug. But When It Was Now is more like an alt-pop NOW compilation than a joyous synthesis.

FOALS | HOLY FIRE | February 11, 2013 Even at their most expansive, Foals are digging into more primal territory.